


Crossroads

by KivaEmber



Category: Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Illegitimacy, Implied Child Abuse, Implied Relationships, Just an excuse to have Alcor as a fail!dad, Kid Fic, M/M, Oneshot Series, it will be awesome, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-09-20
Packaged: 2017-11-12 14:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KivaEmber/pseuds/KivaEmber
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Bunny Drop. AU Oneshot series. Alcor reluctantly goes to a funeral for an elder of the Hotsuin family, and returns home with said elder’s illegitimate child: Yamato.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by a Manga/Anime/Live-Action called Bunny Drop. It's a pretty good series - although it's not going to end how Bunny Drop ends because...yeah. This is mostly a cute series of oneshots with no rhyme or reason, mostly focusing on parental fluff and developing those relationships. Yup. Yup.

The ancestral home of the Hotsuin family was one that Alcor had hoped to never return to. He could have ignored the summons given to him, but Polaris, the head of the main family, would not permit it without punishment. Although Alcor had distanced himself to no longer have the family preying and pulling on his every move, there were some things that he could not deny them, even when he was a thirty year old man.

 

Alcor kept to himself. Aside from the necessary greeting and frank discussion on how ‘oh, tragic, indeed, what a shame’ the entire situation was, Alcor scurried to the farthest corners of the large manor, away from the rest of his family – like the garden. It was there that Alcor met a young child.

 

As almost every family member of the Hotsuin clan had come to pay their respects, there were quite a few children out and about. They never strayed far from their parents, silent and disciplined, so it was quite a shock to Alcor that he found a young child squatting near the bushes pulling up flowers.

 

It was after a few minutes of silence, where Alcor watched and the mystery child sat with his back to him, that he announced his presence.

 

“Hello.”

 

The child paused, and then slowly looked over his shoulder. His hair was long, longer than a boy’s should be, and a soft pale colour. It looked a bit ragged at the back, like someone had hacked at it blindly and clumsily, but the somewhat wild style seemed to suit the suspicious, closed off grey eyes peering at him.

 

“…” The child was silent.

 

Alcor took a step closer, and then crouched down, resting on the balls of his feet. He tried to place a name for this child – for even estranged from his family, he made a note to keep track of who had children and what they were called – and kept coming up blank.

 

“…I am Alcor Hotsuin. What is your name?”

 

There was another pause, and the child dumped the pulled up flowers onto the grass. They were bellflowers, star-shaped and a rich purple colour. “…Yamato.”

 

Yamato…the name didn’t stir anything within Alcor’s memory. “Are your parents here, Yamato Hotsuin?”

 

“Just grandfather.”

 

Alcor was quiet as he thought, watching as Yamato continued morosely plucking the purple, star shaped flowers. “Are you collecting them for the funeral?”

 

“That’s what’s happening now, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes. Katsuo Hotsuin’s funeral.”

 

Yamato was quiet for a bit more before picking up the fallen bellflowers. Without another word the young child sprinted off into the bushes, his small form vanishing in the thick press of leaves and flowers.

 

It was all very mysterious, Alcor mused.

 

**XXX**

 

Alcor soon learned that Yamato Hotsuin was Katsuo Hotsuin’s son. It was all a disgrace to the family members gathered. The child was illegitimate, something severely frowned upon those of the Hotsuin blood, and no one had any idea who the mother was – something that somehow made the entire thing even more scandalous. The idea that such an esteemed elder of the Hotsuin family fathering a love child at the age of seventy three was something that embarrassed many of those discussing the situation.

 

Alcor himself saw nothing wrong with the issue. He understood the concept of monogamous marriage, however it was Katsuo Hotsuin’s choice to father Yamato Hotsuin, even if it was frowned upon, and that was a choice that was worthy of honouring. Perhaps the mother died during childbirth, or maybe she simply ran off – no one knew, but Katsuo Hotsuin was to be commended for not shirking his responsibility and looking after his son, instead of sending him to a nearby orphanage.

 

Which was something that happened often if illegitimate children arose within the Hotsuin family. It was an embarrassment, and the Hotsuin family did not tolerate embarrassment.

 

Alcor also learned that after the funeral, there would be a  _discussion_.

 

It was obvious about what.

 

**XXX**

 

Alcor saw Yamato during the funeral. Well, it was more like Yamato practically zeroed in on him as soon as he saw him. Alcor could understand it. Although the family was not cruel enough to deny Yamato entrance to his father’s funeral, their stares and looks were harsh and condemning.

 

The boy was brave to even endure those stares, and it was why when Yamato approached him, Alcor made sure to smile.

 

In Yamato’s hands there were the picked bellflowers, carefully held and petals unwrinkled, different from the pale flowers that were being placed as farewell to Katsuo Hotsuin. Alcor crouched down when Yamato was close, and tilted his head in question.

 

“He likes these,” Yamato told him, his eyes dark and expression pensive. He was staring down at the flowers in his hands, the gazes of the other family members boring into his back, and said; “he isn’t waking up anymore, is he?”

 

“No,” Alcor said, watching those small hands clenching tight around the bellflower stems, “he is not.”

 

“Okay,” Yamato whispered, and his face was as still and cold as a porcelain doll. Alcor was quiet, because not even he knew how to comfort a grieving adult, let alone a child, and simply pressed his hand against the choppily cut silver hair.

 

He could feel Yamato tremble beneath his palm, but the boy did not say a word after that.

 

**XXX**

 

The discussion afterwards was not a discussion at all, Alcor found. It was about Yamato Hotsuin’s future, of course, and before the talk even began, everyone seemed to have agreed on the final result.

 

“…more pressing issue is which of us will care for  _him_ …”

 

“I’m afraid I cannot do it. You see my son has just-”

 

“-if he were a more proper child, I might be able to-”

 

“-he seems a bit… _strange_ , doesn’t he…?”

 

“He also seems a bit slow too, he doesn’t even talk-”

 

“-if he was a bit cuter, perhaps he would have been a good playmate for my daughter-”

 

“-how about you, you’re at home now, right?”

 

“-oh no, we couldn’t possibly, a small child like that-”

 

“-though it is a bit sudden, perhaps we could find a facility to send him to…”

 

It was like a rehearsed play, Alcor realised. Everyone made their excuses, and everyone accepted them without arguing, going around and around the gathered relatives with one goal in mind: ‘a facility’. Immediately everyone started discussing such and such orphanage which would suit the illegitimate child well, and Alcor felt strangely…unsettled.

 

He was not an emotional man. In fact, he preferred to separate himself from such things. But this situation was something that Alcor found distasteful. There was no choice for Yamato Hotsuin. They did not ask if he wished to go to a facility, or go with a relative – and although it was the relative’s choice to not take him in, they were doing Yamato an injustice in deciding his future for him without his input or his knowledge.

 

Alcor did not give into ‘impulses’, he did not give into bitterness or resentment, but he felt something at that table as the others discussed Yamato Hotsuin’s future. Perhaps Yamato’s life would be better at a facility, perhaps not, but Alcor intended to extend a choice to the boy.

 

“There is no need to concern yourselves with Yamato Hotsuin’s future.”

 

The chatter stopped immediately, and Alcor smiled when the weight of incredulous stares pinned him down.

 

“I will be his guardian.”

 

Protests arose immediately – even if Alcor was the black sheep, he was still a valued member of the Hotsuin family. His achievements and brilliance was something the family boasted over plenty, and to have him tarnish that by publically accepting an illegitimate child…?!

 

But Alcor made his choice, and it was time to extend the same to Yamato.

 

**XXX**

 

“You have a  _kid_?”

 

Hiro’s words were mildly stunned, and Alcor could not fault him for his rather poleaxed expression. The brunet recovered valiantly though, and opened his door wider. He was dressed in his sleepwear, and Alcor supposed he could have arrived at a better time than two in the morning; however, it was an emergency…

 

Alcor did not know how to care for young children.

 

Yamato was permanently latched to his leg, it felt like. Every step Alcor took, Yamato was close on his heels, and he did not speak much – although Alcor doubted it was because he was mentally slow as the Hotsuin family presumed. The little words he did speak were thoughtful and intelligent. He just appeared to be very closed off and independent.

 

Alcor did not know how to deal with that, so Hiro was the smartest choice. Indeed, as soon as they stepped into the brunet’s apartment, Hiro immediately went to work on the silent Yamato Hotsuin.

 

“Hey there,” Hiro said gently, crouching down to meet Yamato’s level. “What’s your name?”

 

Yamato looked up at Alcor. Alcor stared back at him before he realised that maybe he was supposed to give him an encouraging nod. He did so – although he feared it was quite stiff. Yamato seemed reassured anyway and looked back at Hiro.   

 

“…Yamato.”

 

“Yamato? That’s a cool name,” Hiro grinned. “I’m Hiro Kageyama. I’m Alcor’s friend.”

 

“…”

 

“…Okay,” Hiro pushed himself back up. “So I guess some hot chocolate is in order, huh?”

 

Hot chocolate was made, and soon Yamato was sent to the corner with a book – Alcor wasn’t sure what it was about, but Hiro painted it to be the BEST BOOK EVER and Yamato seemed interested enough to give it a try.

 

“So, uh,” Hiro began casually, “ _So_ …”

 

“I am not his father,” Alcor decided to clear that up first. “I am his new guardian.”

 

“Oh,” Hiro’s smile was a bit easier. “Awesome. I was going to ask where you kept him hidden away for me not to know…I’m guessing his parents have,” he gestured vaguely.

 

“Yes. He is an illegitimate child of Katsuo Hotsuin.”

 

Hiro stared at him before letting out a quiet scoff. “That’s…something. I get it now. You rescued him, huh? Having trouble?”

 

“I have just recently returned with him,” Alcor admitted. They hadn’t even returned to his apartment yet, his bags – and Yamato’s bag – sitting nicely in the hallway. “During the train ride, I attempted to review the information I had on child rearing. I had none.”

 

“I don’t think anyone does, really. Every kid’s different,” Hiro murmured. “Have you got stuff for him?”

 

“…stuff?”

 

“Yeah. You know, clothes, shoes, jackets, toys, futon…?”

 

“Ah, I was given a bag with his possessions, but the items seem lacking within it…” Alcor frowned slightly. Indeed, the bag given to him only contained two pairs of clothing, shoes, and a coat. It seemed so little for one child…

 

“Maybe we can go shopping for some clothes then,” Hiro offered. “I can call up Io in a few hours and ask if she’s free.”

 

“I do not want to trouble-”

 

“Nah, it’s no trouble. She’s great with kids,” Hiro laughed. “Alcor, have you heard of a saying, “it takes a village to raise a child”?”

 

“…? There are reports of single parents raising children well enough, and the norm is that-”

 

“No, er, it just means that you need friends to fall back on for help,” Hiro interrupted. “We’re friends, right? So we’ll help you out with this. If we left you alone with him I think he’d die – no offence, Alcor.”

 

“None taken,” Alcor smiled. It was true – he knew nothing of child rearing, and he was certain that his ignorance could cause injury or harm upon Yamato. Perhaps he had been hasty in his choice, but…Alcor didn’t regret it.

 

“Right! So shopping tomorrow! Does he have somewhere to sleep at least?”

 

“I have a spare futon he can claim.”

 

“That’s something,” Hiro ruffled at his hair, glancing over at the corner where Yamato was curled up with his book. “Quiet kid, huh…”

 

“He is cautious,” Alcor agreed. “I do not know if it is a natural trait in his personality, or conditioned.”

 

“Well we know how loving and fun your family is,” Hiro muttered, “I wouldn’t blame him being all skittish because of it. He talks to you though, right?”

 

“Yes,” Alcor replied. Probably because Alcor had been the only one who didn’t look at him like he was something pathetic and inferior. “Sometimes.”

 

“Well we all have to start with a few baby steps,” Hiro smiled.

 

Alcor looked over at Yamato. He sat with his back to the wall and his knees up, face hidden behind the book. He was like some half-feral cat, unsure and cautious, but willing to creep close to an outstretched hand if it was friendly enough.

 

It would take more than a ‘few’ baby steps, Alcor thought.

 

But it was a choice they both made – so he was willing to try.


	2. Mother's Day Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato has to write a mother’s day assignment – too bad he has two daddies instead. Implied Hiro/Alcor.

**_Mother’s Day Assignment  
My Mother’s Average Day_ **

_By Yamato Hotsuin_

 

_As I have no mother, I first considered ignoring this assignment – however further thought on the matter made me realise: Mother’s Day is giving thanks to what the social construct of a mother is, i.e a traditional wife that cares for the home. Therefore, although he is not technically my ‘mother’ in the biological sense, I suppose that if we follow what is the social construct of a mother, Hiro Kageyama would suffice._

 

_I don’t live with Hiro Kageyama. He lives in Shibuya and shares an apartment with Daichi Shijima. He is an alright person, although he’s very jumpy at times, like a rabbit. I don’t know why. Daichi is also trying to ‘score’ with Io Nitta – she’s a very smart lady that works at the same place as Hiro and Daichi, with a ‘huge rack’. Daichi says that. I don’t know what it means —- (a line of scribbled out words)._

 

_Hiro Kageyama is in university, and works at a clothes outlet store. I know this because he gets discounts whenever he buys me new clothes. He says I am growing very quickly. He sometimes sleeps over at mine and Alcor’s home, and we all share the same futon. I read up on mother’s, and saw that they sleep with the ‘father’, so this is further evidence that Hiro is the substitute mother despite his biological sex._

 

_Hiro Kageyama cooks for us, because Alcor is banned from ever entering the kitchen unless it’s to use the fridge. This is because he set the oven on fire, as well as the toaster, the microwave – and he also set a kettle on fire when trying to boil water. I thought that was physically impossible, but Alcor says that nothing is impossible for humans. Guess it includes that too._

 

_Hiro Kageyama also helps us clean the house. Alcor can’t use the vacuum cleaner, and I am too small to use it too (it’s about four feet tall), so Hiro comes round every so often for ‘Cleaning Day’. I get to sit out on the balcony and read my book, so I like Cleaning Day. Alcor sometimes says some interesting things, but he normally goes on about Free Will and Humanity’s Potential and it gets very confusing so I stop listening._

 

_He talks about it every day anyway so I’m not missing much._

 

_(Several lines are scribbled out)_

 

_Hiro Kageyama also takes me school! Alcor works at someplace that involves Astrophysics and Science and it sometimes means he doesn’t come home until three days later. I think he just forgets that he has a home, because Alcor is very ‘Airheaded’. Hiro calls him that so it must be true. Hiro has a driver’s lisence- license- licence (???) License but he is ‘too poor’ to own a car, so he takes me to school on his bicycle instead. It is fun, because he goes very fast._

 

_He also picks me up from school too because of Alcor’s aforementioned airheadedness._

 

_Hiro Kageyama also remembers to buy food. Alcor buys food, but he forgets other things like rice – if it was left to Alcor I would just live off of bread and milk forever. Hiro knows how to make cakes and takoyaki, so I am glad he buys food. Hiro should just move in with us. Alcor is happy when Hiro is home, and I am too._

 

_Hiro is a good mother, even if he is not my biological one. He looks after the house and cooks and sleeps with me and Alcor in the same futon, so he counts. Maybe I should tell Alcor to marry him so he would be my legal mother._

 

_I think that’s how it works._

 

_(Scribbles)_

 

_I just looked it up. Apparently two biological males cannot marry in Japan, and they would be my ‘fathers’. Hiro can’t be my mother then._

 

_:C_

 

_That is an unhappy face. Daichi calls them emotes. I think it suits my current feeling on the issue._

 

_Well I say Hiro Kageyama is my mother, and I don’t care what anyone else says, even you, Ms. Yamada. I have put down a detailed report on Hiro’s eligibility to be my mother, so this essay should get a ten out of ten._

 

_> BC_

 

_That is a determined face. It is another emote Daichi taught me._

 

_This is my Mother’s Day Assignment. I don’t know how to end this, so here is photographic evidence of Hiro adopting mother duties by sharing a bed with Alcor._

 

_(Below there is an amateur polaroid of Hiro half sprawled over a sleeping Alcor)_

 

_The End._


	3. Sleepover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sleepover at Uncle Hiro’s place.

Hiro hummed as he set up the futon for the night, glancing out at the open window. It was getting pretty late, and tomorrow was going to be an extremely busy day – well, his morning was, in any case. It was a bit troublesome that this had been dropped onto his lap so suddenly, but Hiro wasn’t that annoyed by it.

He patted the thick covers and looked over his shoulder. Yamato was seated in the corner – as usual – with his school books opened on the floor. He was doing his homework, although his expression was one of complete and utter boredom. It was Mathematics, and apparently that was Yamato’s bread and butter judging by how he answered every single problem without having to pause to work them out.

Hotsuin children were scary with how smart they were.

“You almost done?” Hiro asked, pushing himself up off the floor to check up on the seven year old.

“Mm,” Yamato replied, setting his pen down and closing his book. He pushed himself up off the floor, tucking his legs under him in a posture of perfect attention. Again, scary.

Hiro grinned and crouched down, ruffling Yamato’s hair. It was getting kind of long, but Hiro knew better than to suggest cutting it. The last time he did Yamato had reacted very strongly – as in, running away and hiding in a closet level of strongly. It was then that Alcor told him that Yamato got unusually agitated and scared if anyone was near him with scissors. It was a pretty violent reaction in Hiro’s opinion, but he knew better than to press – and Alcor himself said to let it lie.

Ah well, Yamato cut his own hair well enough – for a seven year old, it looked pretty nice!

Except for the back. That was duckbutt hair.

“No need to sit so formal. You ready for bed?”

Yamato nodded slowly, a faint frown tugging at his lips. The kid’s face could be so blank at times that it was a little…worrisome, so coaxing out little bits of emotions like this was a great victory on Hiro’s part.

“Are you taking me to school tomorrow?” Yamato asked, “I can go there by myself.”

“Uh, no. You’re not catching the train by yourself, and walking several blocks to the school. You’d die.”

“I won’t,” Yamato said, his frown intensifying into a sulky pout. “I know how trains work, and so long as I-”

“No,” Hiro said, his tone firm. Yamato clammed up, picking at his shorts.

Hiro suppressed a sigh. Handling Yamato was like rolling a turtle in your hands – it’d either shrink back into its shell, or take a chunk out of your thumb.

“It’s not that I don’t think you can do it,” Hiro said gently, “It’s just that, well, there are some very mean people who would try to pick on you if they catch you by yourself.”

Yamato gave Hiro a flat look. “Don’t patronise me.”

Hiro snorted. “Cheeky brat. Fine, fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you.  _But_ , I am taking you to school tomorrow, no ifs or buts, so go get ready for bed.”

The kid grumbled quietly, but obediently climbed to his feet and scampered to his overnight bag. Leaving him be, Hiro left the bedroom to grab a quick glass of water before going to bed – having to pass through the living room in the process. Daichi was playing one of his video games, so of course the brunet was obligated to walk in front of the television screen as slowly as possible.

“Argh, Hiro!” Daichi yelped, leaning from side to side frantically as Hiro stopped right in front of the telly to stretch. “Move!”

“Hmmmm~? Oh! Sorry, Daichi, I didn’t realise~” Hiro chirped sweetly, lightly springing forwards as gracefully as a deer – only to get a cushion to the head for his troubles. “Ow, hey!”

“Ass,” Daichi muttered, pausing the game before Hiro did anything else. “You going to bed now?”

“Yeah. I have to take Yamato to school,” Hiro stepped into the ‘kitchen’. The apartment was small, with only two bedrooms, a bathroom and one large living area that was merged with the kitchen. It was a good set up, actually, because you didn’t have to go far to get a drink if you were watching a film.

“Ah, I should save then. It’s not fun playing games if you don’t have full volume,” Daichi sighed, unpausing the game to do just that.

Hiro chuckled. Yamato was a notoriously light sleeper, and last time he stayed over, he had stormed out into the living room to smack Daichi repeatedly with his pillow to get him to turn the game off. It had been the most hilarious thing Hiro had ever witnessed.

“It’s like he’s your kid at times,” Daichi sighed, setting his game controller down and slouching down with a groan. “Though, I don’t think you can abandon him to that weird guy’s mercies…”

“Alcor isn’t that bad,” Hiro chided gently. “He’s just…Alcor.”

He looked after Yamato well enough. He was just a bit, er, airheaded at times, and was prone to springing things on Hiro at the last minute. Yamato liked him anyway, with how he followed the older man like a little duckling. So cute…!

“Anywaaay, Daichi~” Hiro sang, turning away from the sink with a cup of water in hand. “Can you do me a favoooour~?”

“Only if you stop talking like that.”

“Since I’ll be busy with big brother duties, could you go to the library for me and get some books?” Hiro asked, shuffling back into the living room. “I’m a strict schedule – run Yamato to school, then catch a train and go to my first class, so I won’t have any time to get them.”

Daichi sighed. “Ah, yeah, fine, okay. Since you’re such a busy parent and all.”

Hiro blew Daichi a kiss, to which his friend ‘ick’d and flailed as if fending off the air kiss. “Thanks! See you in the morning!”

“I’ll still be in bed when you wake up!”

Hiro laughed, bounding away to the bathroom. Five minutes later, after doing his pre-bedtime business, he went into his room to see that Yamato was carefully going through his school bag.

“Want me to see if you have everything?” Hiro offered, setting the cup of water down on the floor beside the futon.

Yamato gave him a glare. “I can do it!”

“Okay, okay,” HIro grinned. “I just thought it’s best to have a second pair of eyes to make sure, is all.”

Yamato puffed his cheeks out in annoyance – and Hiro had to practically bite off his tongue to stem the laughter at such an adorable pout – before turning back to his back with a small ‘hmph!’ noise. The young Hotsuin picked through each piece of paper and each book with intense scrutiny and focus, before slotting the needed materials into his bag as perfectly as possible.

Hiro found this kind of weird. Even at twenty one Hiro just randomly shoved his books and work into his bag and hoped for the best. Well, Alcor was pretty organised, so maybe it rubbed off on Yamato too.

“Done?” Hiro asked when Yamato set the bag aside.

“Mm.”

That was a ‘yes’. Hiro was getting better at translating Yamato’s grunts and hums.

“Okay, go get into your pyjamas.”

Yamato went to do that, and Hiro himself did the same. He kept his back turned to Yamato though, because the young Hotsuin was body shy – or something. He refused to have people help him get changed and  _watching_ him get changed normally ended up with Yamato throwing something at you. He was such a brat, honestly.

Hiro turned back around when the shuffling behind him stopped, and smiled when he saw Yamato in his pyjamas (navy blue and adorable) carefully pulling back the futon covers. “I’m gonna turn the light off now, alright?”

“Mm.”

This was a different ‘mm’, and Hiro frowned but went to turn the light off anyway. He carefully picked his way through his bedroom, managing not to accidentally step on Yamato as he walked over him to climb into his side of the futon. Yamato enjoyed sharing futons, funnily enough. He got pouty when you asked him about it – or straight up ignored the question.

“What’s up?” Hiro asked, reaching under the covers to poke Yamato in the tummy. He got kicked for his troubles. Brat.

“Mnnn…”

Hiro sat in thought for a moment. “…missing your dad?”

“Alcor isn’t my dad,” Yamato muttered grouchily. “And I am not missing him. That would be stupid.”

“Why? It’s alright, y’know.”

“Hmph.”

Hiro couldn’t blame him…Yamato had been staying around his apartment more and more often in the past fortnight. Alcor was busy juggling between the Hotsuin Family (apparently they were interested in Yamato now, but in a rare show of defiance Alcor was being as unhelpful to them as possible about it) and his work that he was struggling to split himself evenly between his duties.

Unfortunately Yamato was the one who suffered. It had only been a few months since he moved in with Alcor now, and to suddenly be repeatedly shoved onto someone else…? Who knew what he was thinking right now.

“…he’s just busy right now. After a few days you two will be having highly philosophical debates and eating take out,” Hiro chuckled. “And setting kettles on fire.”

“That was Alcor’s fault,” Yamato grumbled. He was quiet for a few minutes. “…he is just busy right now…”

“Yeah, busy. Handling your ‘friendly’ family and doing smart guy stuff.”

Even in the dim lighting Hiro could see Yamato’s expression completely shut down at the mention of the Hotsuin. “They are not my family.”

“…mm. Alcor is.”

“Yes,” Yamato burrowed under the covers, until only tufts of hair were visible. He still seemed bothered by something, but Hiro left it be. When he hid like that, it meant nothing else was going to come from him.

He rolled over and went to sleep.

**XXX**

Hiro was woken up by small hands roughly shaking his shoulder from side to side. He groaned and slowly sat up, blinking blearily at Yamato sitting on the futon, a mobile phone held out to him.

“It is Alcor.”

“What?” Hiro mumbled, staring at the phone uncomprehendingly. Yamato let out an impatient noise and shook the phone. Hiro got the hint and took the phone clumsily.

“Uh? Hello?”

“Hiro Kageyama. Are you awake?”

“No. M’asleep.”

“Ah, my apologi- Man cannot speak while sleeping.”

Hiro smiled wryly. This joke never got old with Alcor. “Right. So, uh, why’re you calling at-” He fumbled for the alarm clock. “…Alcor it’s fuc- er, fudging four in the morning.”

“Again, my apologies. I am calling in advance to state that I have finished my business early.”

“…yeah…” Hiro said slowly, his gaze falling on Yamato when he felt small hands rest on his thigh. The seven year old was leaning in close, obviously trying to listen into the conversation. Hiro pulled the phone away to place it on speaker, keeping the volume somewhat quiet so they didn’t wake up Daichi.

“There is no need for you to pick up Yamato Hotsuin after school.”

Yamato perked up like a dog offered a treat, and Hiro had to bite his lip to stifle laughter. “Oh? Okay, yeah, that works for me. I have to go to work after classes so…”

“I will come by to collect his belongings before then.”

“Okay,” Hiro pressed a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. “’kay, uhh, so, why couldn’t you call me later about this…?”

“…? Is it not polite to call as soon as possible about change in plans?”

“Well yeah…” Hiro decided it wasn’t worth it. “Yeah, you’re right. So is that i- actually, here.”

Hiro pushed the phone into a startled Yamato’s hands, and the kid just stated wildly at it like it was primed to explode. Hiro just flopped back onto the bed, closing his eyes as if asleep. He smiled when he felt Yamato shift beside him and murmur quietly into the phone.

“You will be picking me up?”

“Ah, Yamato Hotsuin. Yes, that is correct.”

“…okay.”

It was quiet after that, although neither of them hung up until five minutes later. Strangely the silence hadn’t been awkward in the least, and when Yamato got back into the futon, he seemed happy about something.

Hiro decided it was a mystery he would never know. Alcor and Yamato were weird, and for all he knew maybe they could communicate telepathically through the phone.

Or whatever. Honestly he just wanted to sleep.

“’night, Yamato.”

“It’s morning.”

Brat.


	4. Defence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frankly, Alcor thought that Yamato Hotsuin had been well within his rights to kick that young child in the genitals.

There was a certain amount of friction between Yamato Hotsuin and his classmates. He supposed it was because they were stupid. They were three years older than him, yet they couldn’t recite the times table. Some of them couldn’t even do basic maths or have proper grammar or vocabulary! It was galling to think that his teachers thought he would struggle to match up to his classmates, like they thought he was as thick as all of them.

Naturally, Yamato asserted his superiority by actually using his brain and doing well. Ten out of ten on his school work, ten out of ten on his homework, extra points for going the extra mile, things like that. He wouldn’t allow his less than competent classmates drag him down to their level of mediocrity.

This, of course, didn’t earn him any friends.

Those in his class were ten to eleven year olds, and each and every one of them hated his guts. Yamato knew that, because they always sniggered behind his back while making up some sadly stupid insults like ‘girly boy’, or ‘duckbutt’ or, and this was Yamato’s favourite, ‘teacher’s pet’. He wouldn’t go in how it was illegal for adults to own children as slaves or pets, nor the inappropriateness of a teacher doing this with one of their students, because he had a feeling that such an explanation would fry their tiny dinosaur brains to cinders.

He just ignored them. He had heard worse. Until they came up a name that trumped ‘useless bastard’ or ‘whoreson’, Yamato would forever be coloured unimpressed.

He understood why they hated him though. Yamato was better than them, and they felt threatened due to his young age and sheer intelligence. It was stupid, but understandable.

It was fine though. Yamato didn’t need them. He was used to doing everything on his own, and school would be no different. Having x amount of friends was not necessary to graduate school. Intelligence and grades were necessary to graduate school, then necessary to graduate university, and only the smartest and brightest were worth something in the end. You had to be better than everyone else, and it didn’t matter what background you had, if you were male or female or both or foreigner or not…

If you were smart, if you were intelligent, it wouldn’t matter if you were an illegitimate child so long as you were useful. Blood didn’t matter. Yamato would prove that. He would prove that he was better than everyone else, better than the  _Hotsuin_. He’d be better.

And twittering little brats wouldn’t stop him from it, just because they were jealous. Tough.

He wasn’t slowing down for anybody.

**XXX**

“Oi, Princess!”

Yamato looked up from his book to see one of his classmates sauntering up towards him, flanked by his two cronies. He observed them with an expression of utter boredom, closing his book and setting it aside on the asphalt before pushing himself to his feet.

He was quite small for his age, so he sometimes appeared younger than his seven years. It was a bit irritating at times, especially when it caused some women to coo over him like he was a  _toddler_  of all things, but he had come to accept it. It was a bit off-putting that the ten year old before him was almost a foot taller than him though.

Yamato frowned.

“What,” he asked brusquely.

The trio faltered, obviously surprised that the ickle baby wasn’t cowering in fear. Yamato crossed his arms and adopted the same stern expression Alcor wore when trying to impart something important upon Yamato. It was quite intimidating on Alcor, but he wasn’t sure if he could carry the same authority with a face rounded slightly with puppy fat.

“What’re ya readin’ for? Too good to be with the rest of us?”

Yamato stared at the trio coldly, not even bothering to grace those demands with a response. Who was this boy? He seemed somewhat familiar- oh, right, Hideki if he remembered correctly. The other two he wasn’t sure of – they seemed the type to blend into the background once their fearless leader was out of the picture.

Hideki’s face purpled with anger. It was quite an impressive shade to achieve. “Don’t stare at us like that! You’re just a girly Princess, so don’t think you’re better than us!”

“You must be in need of glasses, because you seem to make the same mistake over and over,” Yamato said, his voice just as frigid as his stare. “I am not a girl, and while being referred to royalty is flattering, the correct title to call me would be ‘Prince’. Not ‘Princess’. I am a boy.”

There was a brief pause while the boys stumbled over Yamato’s more sophisticated vocabulary. “You are too!” Hideki exploded. “You have long hair, and, you just looked all girly and small! Plus you’re a baby!”

“I am seven years old, which is a  _child_ , not a baby. Honestly,” Yamato straightened himself up, and although he was shorter than his classmate, somehow managed to look down his nose at Hideki. “Are you mentally retarded? Perhaps I should inform the teacher that one of her students has a learning disability, since he seems incapable of learning new facts.”

“I- huh, I’m not- that!” Hideki blustered, knowing he had been insulted in some way. Yamato at least gave him that.

“Hrn, you are proving otherwise,” Yamato said sharply. “Now if you’re finished with your blustering…”

Hideki stomped his foot and suddenly he and his two cronies tried to crowd him. Yamato frowned at this development. Hm, he knew what was coming next. It seemed his habit of picking isolated areas was working against him, since they were out of sight of the teacher on playground duty. He supposed he could shout, however lots of children enjoyed screaming as if they were being brutally murdered, so he doubted they would hear him.

Irritating.

“Are you seriously going to beat up a seven year old?” Yamato sneered. “My, how proud everyone will be.”

Hideki and his cronies’ faces tensed slightly in confusion, not understanding why Yamato was completely unruffled, before his classmate’s face lit up in a cruel grin. Immediately Yamato tensed, sensing that he had misunderstood something about the situation.

“Pfft, was gonna, but it’s no fun if you’re not scared. So we’re gonna do something else, now!”

Yamato shifted uneasily, finding that he was losing control of this confrontation now. He desperately tried to snatch it back. “And what is that? Kill me with your stupidity?”

“Nuh uh! We’re gonna make you into a boy.”

For a moment, Yamato stared at Hideki with incomprehension. How- what part of that made any sense? But then Hideki put his hand in his shorts’ pocket, and pulled out a pair of-

Scissors. Yamato felt every muscle in his body clench tight in terror.

“We heard you’re scared of getting’ your hair cut!” Hideki crowed, and if Yamato was a bit calmer, he would’ve cursed himself for showing his fear so blatantly. But he had been surprised and – the light glinted off the metal of the scissors, a threatening alien light that looked sinister, and Yamato could feel his palms become clammy, his mouth dry, as he focused on that glint of light-

They’re only safety scissors, Yamato told himself. They couldn’t even cut card.

But Hideki was moving, and his cronies were boxing Yamato in, and the scissors glinted, glinted as Hideki reached out to grab a fistful of his hair and

Yamato honestly wasn’t quite sure what happened next, because it was like time overlapped somewhere. One moment he was standing in frozen terror, and next Hideki was sobbing on the ground clutching at his privates, with the scissors on the floor and the two cronies fleeing crying “Miss! Miss!”

Yamato leaned back against the wall, feeling like he wanted to cry himself, but he didn’t. Crying didn’t solve anything. It was stupid and dumb and babyish.

So when the teacher rounded the corner, a shocked “Yamato!” escaping her at the scene, Yamato just wiped his sweaty hands on his shorts, bent down to pick up his book, and avoided looking at the scissors.

“He started it.”

Strangely, this didn’t get him out of trouble.

**XXX**

When Alcor arrived, he didn’t look angry at all. Instead he had an expression of mild confusion, like he wasn’t quite sure why his presence was even needed. He probably didn’t. Alcor was like that when it came to interacting with people. Yamato was a tiny bit better than his guardian in that aspect, which he liked, because then he didn’t have to rely on Alcor on everything. Sometimes Alcor relied on  _him_.

The headmistress of the school was a very homely looking woman, but her face was rather stern. She didn’t look as intimidating as Alcor on a bad day though, so Yamato just sat under her disapproving stare without flinching. This just seemed to make her more disapproving, so Yamato feigned contriteness by staring at his knees.

“Mister Hotsuin,” the Headmistress began. Alcor interrupted.

“Alcor will do, Kohaku Suzuki.”

“Er, Alcor,” the Headmistress corrected herself, looking a bit flustered at the use of a first name. It broke up her stern look a little, and her splotchy red face was so amusing that Yamato had to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress a smirk. “Your son-”

“I am not his father.”

“Oh, but…” she seemed puzzled, “Nephew-”

“We are not closely related, although belonging to the same family. If you wish, you may call him my cousin, once removed.”

“I…see,” the Headmistress frowned. “Well, Alcor, your… _cousin_ , assaulted an older student this afternoon.” She looked at Alcor expectantly.

Alcor merely stared at her, pressing his hand against his mouth. His expression was blank. “I see.”

The Headmistress looked a bit disgruntled by Alcor’s apparently disinterest. “He, ah, kicked young Hideki Takahashi in the privates. Very hard.”

“Hmm…” Alcor tilted his head to the side slightly. “Why?”

“Well,” the Headmistress paused. “I assume it was some roughhousing that went wrong. The boys claimed that Yamato became upset at some point and lashed out at them.”

“Yamato Hotsuin is not prone to violence,” Alcor said serenely. He then turned to Yamato, dropping his hand from his mouth. “What happened?”

Yamato ignored the Headmistress’s disapproving cluck. “They cornered me with the intention of harming me. I defended myself.”

Alcor nodded and turned back to the Headmistress. “It was in self-defence. I see no issue here.”

“N-No issue-  _Mr. Hotsuin_! The rules clearly state that fighting is strictly prohibited. Self-defence or not he attacked another student very viciously-”

“So, you would have preferred Yamato Hotsuin to allow himself to be harmed?” Alcor asked.

The Headmistress paused, because Alcor’s tone was suddenly quite different. He was as calm as ever, and although his voice wasn’t noticeably cold, there was a soft edge of steel in it. “Well, no, but it is expected of the child to go to the closest teacher if there is a problem.”

“Yamato Hotsuin stated he was ‘cornered’. This implies that escape would have been difficult. Humans cannot teleport themselves out of hostile situations, Kohaku Suzuki.”

The Headmistress was looking a bit disgruntled at this wall of logic. “The rules are very clear, Mr. Hotsuin. Fighting is not allowed, in any capacity. We cannot allow exceptions.”

“I see,” Alcor said. “Then I assume the three other boys will be punished as well? They had intended to harm Yamato Hotsuin after all…unless  _mens rea_ is not counted underneath your ‘No Fighting’ rule?”

“Well, the other boys would, be punished for provoking Yamato,” the Headmistress said awkwardly.

“They should be punished for intent of malicious harm,” Alcor corrected, “It was no mere provocation, after all.”

The Headmistress sighed, looking like she was getting a headache. Yamato didn’t blame her. Dealing with Alcor’s unflappable logic was extremely draining at times. “Yes, I understand. All four boys will be punished for fighting.”

Alcor hummed. “Is that all? Truthfully I do not see why my presence was necessary in this. It is the school’s place to punish the student.”

“Because- you’re his guardian,” the Headmistress replied, looking a bit dumbfounded. “And so you can punish him as well.”

Alcor frowned. “…why? You are already going to punish him. I see no need to punish him again for the same crime.”

The Headmistress opened her mouth, paused, and thought better of it. She squeezed her eyes shut with a sigh, and shook her head. “…that will be all, Mr. Hotsuin.”

Alcor still looked confused when they left the headmistress’s office, and Yamato took his guardian’s hand to lead him down the corridor. “It’s okay. It is just common courtesy to tell a guardian about things like these.”

“I see,” Alcor said, sounding mildly fascinated. “Were you harmed, Yamato Hotsuin?”

“No. I kicked him before he touched me.”

Alcor nodded, looking satisfied, and dropped the matter entirely. “Let us depart then.”

This was why Yamato liked Alcor. He wasn’t stupid like everyone else.

 


	5. Fail

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the washing machine flooded the kitchen. Despite being geniuses, Alcor and Yamato just make it worse somehow.

Yamato kicked his legs out lazily as he sucked on the straw to his carton of juice, seated comfortably on the kitchen counter. Alcor was seated beside him, a carton of juice in his hands as well, and frowned thoughtfully at their shared conundrum.

The washing machine – or, perhaps it would be accurate to say, their late washing machine – had departed sometime during the night, and decided to leave a nice parting gift of emptying gallons of water onto the kitchen floor. It was this that Alcor had stepped into, quite literally, and had decided to solve the problem by seating both himself and Yamato on the kitchen counter, out of the water’s way.

Yamato lowered his carton, licking his lips, and said; “I think the water will escape to the apartment below us.”

“Yes,” Alcor agreed. He would have to apologise to them later. “I suppose we should call the landlord of this problem.”

Both of them stared at the phone that rested on the wall. It was directly across from them. Sadly it also had the kitchen lake separating them from it.

“Perhaps we can mop it up,” Yamato suggested.

Their gazes moved to the mop and bucket, stashed right next to the broken washing machine. Once again, they would have to brave the kitchen lake to get to it, and neither of them was in any rush to get their feet wet. It was Sunday morning, after all, so they could afford to be a bit slow in dealing with this conundrum.

Yamato finally sighed and set the empty juice carton aside. He scooted himself backwards, and then climbed to his feet, carefully walking over the kitchen counter on socked feet, towards the broken washing machine. It was set where the kitchen counter ended, so it was no problem for Yamato to delicately hop from the counter on top of the machine.

He crouched down at the washing machine’s edge, leaning forwards to reach for the mop’s handle. With a few grunts and stretches that almost made Yamato topple off the washing machine, the seven year old grabbed the mop handle, and started to pull against it, causing the bucket to slide across the flooded kitchen floor.

Alcor, of course, sat there as unhelpful as ever, and by the time Yamato dragged the bucket back to his guardian, the seven year old was wheezing from sheer exhaustion. He plonked himself back down on the edge of the counter, gripping the mop’s handle tightly in his small hands.

“Ah, alright. We have the mop now,” he said breathlessly, and shoved it towards Alcor.

Alas, Alcor was too slow to respond, and when Yamato let go after pushing the mop handle – quite hard – gravity took over. Both of them watched as the mop leaned over, far away from the kitchen counter, until the bucket overturned and both the mop and the bucket lied sideways on the wet kitchen floor.

“…”

Yamato slowly turned to stare at Alcor, completely unimpressed. His guardian pressed his hand against his mouth with a contrite expression. “…my apologies.”

“I am so mad at you right now,” Yamato told him, and turned away with a disgruntled expression. “Now we have lost our only way of cleaning up this mess – unless you have a mop hidden in one of the cupboards.”

“I do not,” Alcor answered.

“It was rhetorical, Alcor,” Yamato groaned in annoyance. His guardian was such an idiot at times, for all of his intelligence. Yamato kicked his feet out in aggravation, and let out a huff. “I will fix it, then. If we just sit here, then we are making it worse by doing nothing.”

“I did not know you were knowledgeable about plumbing.”

“It’s not that hard to learn,” Yamato said flippantly. “I read a book on it.”

“I see…”

Yamato carefully slid off the edge of the counter and landed on the kitchen floor. He made a bit of a splash, and ew’d softly to himself as his socked feet were soaked within nanoseconds. It felt gross, and uncomfortable.

“Alcor, get down here. I need you to pull out the washing machine.”

Alcor slid off the edge of the counter obediently, and the both of them waded through the flood to the offending kitchen appliance. Yamato clapped his hands together before pointing at the washing machine. “Right! I will fix it.”

If Alcor had his doubts about this endeavour he didn’t show it, and simply moved to pull out the washing machine from the wall.

**XXX**

Hiro had a bad feeling as he walked down the hallway towards Alcor’s apartment. The floor down was having water issues, and Hiro knew how useless Alcor was when things in his home malfunctioned. The man was a genius, but force him to deal with faulty electrical wiring or plumbing problems and he was as clueless as a child.

The bad feeling increased when he stopped outside of Alcor’s apartment. Never before had he felt such profound foreboding, and he cautiously slotted his key into the lock and pushed the door open. The smell of soap hit him strongly as soon as he stepped inside, and from the doorway he could see part of the kitchen which was-

Covered in bubbles?

Well, more like watery foam. Hiro left the door open as he rushed over to the kitchen doorway, and stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.

The washing machine was sitting in the centre of the kitchen, and spewing out of its open door was soap. Lots and lots of soap. Foam was oozing out of the washing machine like some sentient being, and some bubbles were even floating about the kitchen lazily. Yamato was standing there, covered in bubbles and soaked from head to toe, his face red in embarrassed anger as he handled a book whose pages were wet, and ink smudged into nonsense.

Alcor was standing next to the washing machine just as soaked, and just as covered as bubbles, and when he caught sight of Hiro, smiled welcomingly, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

“Hiro Kageyama…it is nice of you to drop by. My apologies, we encountered a problem with the washing machine.”

“How…” Hiro began, withholding his laughter through sheer force of will. Yamato looked like he would start crying if Hiro did laugh. “I didn’t know washing machines could do that…”

“This book is stupid!” Yamato shouted, throwing the offending piece of literature into the foam that was up to his knees. “It doesn’t even know its own subject correctly!”

“Perhaps you made a mistake, Yamato Hotsuin,” Alcor said calmly, gently brushing some bubbles off of his shoulder.

“I didn’t make a mistake that book was just  _wrong_!”

Hiro sighed, smiling fondly as he shook his head. “Yamato, people have to go to college to know how to fix things like this. Alcor, you should’ve known better than to let him try.”

Alcor just gave him a puzzled look. “He wanted to try. I saw no harm in him attempting to fix the machine if he so wished.”

“…right, I forgot you’re insane,” Hiro remarked idly. “Okay, how about we call the landlord about this before the water escapes into the living room and electrocutes everyone.”

“I didn’t make a mistake,” Yamato sniffed, “stupid book’s fault…stupid stupid stupid…”

“There, there, Yamato. You tried,” Hiro said cheerily, moving over to the kitchen phone and picking it up. “That’s all that matters right?”

“If you want to aim for a life of incompetence, sure, that’s all that matters!” Yamato huffed, and with as much dignity as he could muster, the young child sloshed clumsily through the foamy water and stormed out into the living room.

“…he’s gonna track soapy water everywhere,” Hiro remarked.

“I shall corral him to the bathroom,” Alcor said serenely, and followed after Yamato – tracking soap and water after him as well. Hiro just…decided not to bother pointing that out.

As he dialled the landlord’s number (helpfully written on the list above the phone), he couldn’t help but marvel at the mess they had made. Alcor and Yamato were geniuses, yet they somehow screwed up a broken washing machine situation and made it  _worse_.

Thank God they had him, Hiro thought amusedly. They would surely die otherwise.


End file.
